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Two moderate earthquakes struck eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). A magnitude 5.6 quake hit about 22 miles west-southwest of Asadabad, and a magnitude 4.5 tremor struck roughly 15 miles northeast of Jalalabad. Both quakes were shallow.
These latest earthquakes follow a devastating magnitude-6.0 tremor on Monday that killed over 2,200 people. Afghanistan is still recovering from this earlier disaster, which left hundreds dead and many more injured. Satellite images showed buildings reduced to rubble, with several communities cut off from routes that would have enabled faster emergency response times.
**Why It Matters**
The recent quakes have their epicenter near Nurgal District in Kunar Province, located approximately 22 miles west-southwest of Asadabad and 15 miles east-northeast of Jalalabad. The death toll from the earlier earthquakes was previously estimated at around 1,400 people. Taliban spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat reported Thursday that the updated death toll is now 2,205, with search and rescue efforts ongoing.
The rough terrain is hindering relief efforts. Taliban authorities have deployed helicopters and airdropped army commandos to assist survivors. Aid workers report walking for hours to reach villages cut off by landslides and rockfall. Funding cuts are also impacting the response; the Norwegian Refugee Council had fewer than 450 staff in Afghanistan compared to 1,100 in 2023, when the last major quake occurred. They now have only one warehouse remaining with no emergency stock.
Qatar’s minister of state for international cooperation, Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, arrived in Kabul on Wednesday to oversee aid delivery to earthquake victims. She is the first female minister to visit Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021 and the first high-ranking foreign official to travel there since the recent quake.
Aid organizations describe this latest disaster as a crisis within a crisis, compounded by drought, a weak economy, and the return of over two million Afghans from neighboring countries.
**What People Are Saying**
Maisam Shafiey, communications and advocacy advisor for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Afghanistan, told the Associated Press: “We need immediate funding. With only $100,000 available to support emergency response efforts, we face an immediate funding gap of $1.9 million.”
**What’s Next**
As of Thursday evening, there were no known injuries from the recent earthquakes. Efforts are continuing on recovery from earlier disasters.
*Update 04/09/25 4:18 p.m. ET*: This article has been updated with additional information.
